Renegade breezes for G1 DraftKings Travers

• Renegade breezes for G1 DraftKings Travers
• The Puma drills for G1 DraftKings Travers over Saratoga main track
• Counting Stars to gallop up to G1 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales following Wednesday breeze
• Heeere’s Johnny possible for G3 Old Dominion Derby
• Gerrards Cross goes for stakes double in Listed Galway
• Vukota, named for New York Islander fan favorite, to debut Saturday for LaRose

Repole Stable and Robert and Lawana Low’s Renegade breezed a half-mile in 50.66 seconds, according to NYRA Clockers, on Friday over the Saratoga Race Course main track. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the Into Mischief bay is working toward the local Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers, a 10-furlong test for sophomores, on August 29.

Renegade, completing his first breeze back since rallying from last to first in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun on August 1 here, worked to the outside of allowance winner Sassmaster.

“I thought it was excellent,” Pletcher said. “He was on the bridle throughout, showed good enthusiasm going to the pole and got in a good rhythm, and I liked it. He works in company, starts head and head with his workmate and we don’t try to simulate race conditions or anything, just want to make sure it's a properly executed breeze, like the way he did it.”

Renegade posted a career-best equaling 98 Beyer Speed Figure in the nine-furlong Jim Dandy, the same number he earned when capturing the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at that distance in March at Oaklawn Park.

“He’s shown good energy from Day One. After the Jim Dandy, he’s been enthusiastic in his training,” said Pletcher. “His appetite’s been excellent, so we are happy about him.”

Pletcher said Renegade had demonstrated no signs of fatigue after his last-out half-length score over Commandment.

“Not at all,” Pletcher said. “I’d say it’s a little surprising and encouraging. I like the way he recovered from the race so quickly, so it gives us optimism that he’ll run his ‘A’ race back in four weeks.”

Mark Breen’s Sassmaster is 2-for-2 this year and 2-for-3 overall, defeating maiden elders going 1 1/16 miles in June at Churchill Downs ahead of a last-out score over allowance elders going nine furlongs on August 1 at Saratoga.

The sophomore Curlin bay’s 96 Beyer from his second-out graduation could potentially make him competitive in the Travers, but Pletcher said he’ll probably look to run elsewhere, possibly in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby on September 19 at Parx Racing.

“We nominated him [to the Travers] to keep all of our options open, but right now we are probably looking at Churchill or Parx,” Pletcher said. “There’s a stakes [$300,000 Bourbon Flight on September 26] at Churchill and then there’s the Pennsylvania Derby.”

Also working on the main track was Spendthrift Farm’s Local Knowledge, who breezed a solo half-mile in 50.02 seconds, according to NYRA Clockers. The Yaupon bay was back on the tab for the first time since capturing the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Amsterdam on July 31 here.

“I was happy with it, he’s one that does plenty on his own, so we elected not to go in company today,” Pletcher said. “I thought we got a good work, so I’m happy with him.”

Pletcher said Local Knowledge is targeting the seven-furlong Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on August 29 here.

“Yes, obvious next spot, won’t be easier, but we’ll give it a try,” Pletcher said.

Repole Stable’s Zany is nominated to the Spa’s Grade 1 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales next Saturday, but Pletcher said the sophomore American Pharoah filly likely could make her next start in the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion on September 19 at Parx Racing.

“We’re thinking about the Cotillion,” Pletcher said. “Probably not [considering the Alabama].”

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The Puma drills for G1 DraftKings Travers over Saratoga main track

Trainer Gustavo Delgado sat under the shade of a tree at his barn on the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Race Course on Friday, as relaxed as his prized colt The Puma has been since arriving in upstate New York in late July.

The coppery chestnut cooled out on the walking ring in front of him, moments after NYRA clockers caught him breezing five furlongs in 59 and 4/5 seconds over the main track in preparation for the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers on August 29.

With Hall of Famer Javier Castellano up, the son of Essential Quality worked solo shortly after the conclusion of the 8:00 renovation break, posting his second local breeze since a fourth in the Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell on July 18 at Monmouth Park. Last week, he covered the same distance in 1:02.16.

“This work was very important for us,” Delgado said. “He looked very good. I am happy with the work, and Castellano is, too. He’s happy here at Saratoga. He was very fast, but he did it easy.”

Delgado said he had initially planned to work his other Saratoga trainee, Racing Driver, in company with The Puma, but decided against it when considering the latter’s sharpness.

“We were going to bring the other horse for company, but it wasn’t necessary. Can you imagine him with company – too fast today,” Delgado said, with a laugh. “Castellano and me decided no company today, because the way he’s galloping, he’s showing us he’s happy. You put him in company, he’d go in 56.”

It’s been a long year for the popular colt, who has never quite had the chance to settle into his surroundings in the lead-up to his races away from home. He debuted with a runner-up effort in January at his base of Gulfstream Park, ahead of back-and-forth travels to Tampa Bay Downs for a third in the Listed Sam F. Davis in February and a stylish graduation in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby in March before staying home for a heartbreaking nose defeat to Commandment just three weeks later in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.

A trip to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby in May ended with him scratched from the marquee event due to leg swelling from a skin infection, and it was back to Gulfstream to prepare for the Haskell, where he shipped in just a few days ahead of his fourth-place effort behind the victorious Baby Vino after an inside trip under Castellano.

The Haskell came with unique, unavoidable circumstances surrounding it, with smoke from wildfires in Canada and race-day rain making for difficult training and racing conditions. Now turning his attention to the Travers, Delgado is hopeful things will be different this time as The Puma has been able to make himself at home at the Spa with smoother sailing in his preparations.

“He started off at Gulfstream, then goes to Tampa, back to Gulfstream, back and forth,” Delgado explained. “Then, after I thought he won the Florida Derby, he goes to the Kentucky Derby and scratched. Travel, travel, and more travel. Then there was all the smoke from the fires in Canada before the Haskell. The day of the Haskell, there was too much rain and the inside was very bad. So, we come out of there, it’s a short trip to Saratoga, and he’s happy here and can relax. The weather is very good for him here, no shipping and no traveling.”

Campaigned by JR Ranch, Marquee Bloodstock, High Step Racing and OGMA Investments, The Puma brings Delgado back to the Travers three years after his Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-winner Mage contested the prestigious 10-furlong test for sophomores and finished seventh to conclude his career.

The Puma was a $150,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the Gade 3-placed Declaration of War mare Eve of War.

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Counting Stars to gallop up to G1 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales following Wednesday breeze

Counting Stars, who breezed four furlongs in 48.93 seconds over the Saratoga main track on Wednesday, will gallop up to the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales on August 22, dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said on Friday.

“She continues to amaze me,” said Casse of Counting Stars, who will be entering the Alabama off local wins in the Grade 1 DraftKings Acorn in June and the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 25. “I told [exercise rider] Reynaldo [Dumont] to let her run away from there a little bit. She went [her first furlong] in 12 [seconds], and I was like, ‘Ho, ho, ho!’ And then I told [Dumont] to let her drop her head after the wire, and she took off.”

Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Counting Stars, who was third in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in May, will be making her first start at 10 furlongs in the Alabama.

This Saturday, Casse will unveil John Oxley’s Mindfield, a 2-year-old who sold for $700,000 at this year’s OBS Spring Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, in Race 2, a six-furlong maiden for New York-breds.

Hailing from the first crop of three-time Grade 1 winner Mind Control, Mindfield has passed through the sales ring three times. He sold for $20,000 as a short yearling at the 2025 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February Mixed Sale before he was pinhooked by Grassroots Training and Sales for $55,000 later that year at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Prior to selling at OBS, Mindfield breezed one furlong in 9 3/5 seconds and galloped out two furlongs in 20 flat. Mark Casse’s brother Justin signed the ticket for then-unnamed dark bay colt.

“[Mindfield is] a beautiful horse,” said Mark Casse. “He may need a little more ground. He doesn’t have a lot of gate speed. You saw that with Road Show [second by one length in a maiden special weight July 12]. He got the dirt and dropped back [9 3/4] lengths and came running for second. [Mindfield] has talent, but a lot will depend on how he is early in the race. We’re excited about him.”

Mindfield, the 7-2 favorite on the morning line, will be ridden by Luis Saez from post position 4.

The Casse barn has a busy weekend Saturday ahead as it has 24 entrants at five tracks. In addition to Mindfield, the Casse barn will be represented at Saratoga by Road Show [7-5] in Race 3 at Saratoga as well as Mauna Loa in the Listed $200,000 Galway [3-1], a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-old fillies that was carded as the 10th race. At Woodbine, Casse has 14 entrants in eight races, including Military Time [12-1] in the King’s Plate, a race the trainer has won three times.

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Heeere’s Johnny possible for G3 Old Dominion Derby

Magic Carpet Racing, Catherine Coyle and Blue Bison Stable’s dual graded stakes-placed Heeere’s Johnny could make his next start in the nine-furlong Grade 3, $500,000 Old Dominion Derby on September 7, at Colonial Downs.

Trained by Ray Handal, the sophomore son of Oscar Performance landed second in a pair of graded events last year, including in the Grade 3 With Anticipation here and the Grade 2 Pilgrim in October at Belmont at the Big A. He completed his 2-year-old campaign, as a maiden, with a closing fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in October at Del Mar.

Heeere’s Johnny graduated in style in the third start of his current campaign, rallying from last-of-11 and 11 lengths back to post a neck win over Blinging It Back in the restricted Listed Saranac on July 3 here. He finished an even sixth last out in the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby presented by Qatar Racing.

Handal said Heeere’s Johnny will also be considered for the $200,000 Gio Ponti at one-mile for sophomores here on Closing Day September 7.

“He came back good, just maybe a little back sore but sound and clean legged,” Handal said. “We'll look to potentially go in the Gio Ponti or a race at Colonial Downs on the same day…I'm leaning more towards the Colonial Downs race. I'm not crazy about the mile for him, I think he needs a little more ground.”

The Kentucky-bred Heeere’s Johnny, a $100,0000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, has banked $243,300 through a 9-1-4-0 ledger.

Pavilion Racing’s New York-bred Valtellina, who was fifth last out in the Grade 2 Shuvee on July 24 here, will look to return in a state-bred tilt next week at the Spa.

The 4-year-old Complexity chestnut won the nine-furlong Empire Distaff in October at Belmont at the Big A and will use next week’s test as a stepping stone to a title defense in the $250,000 Empire Distaff on October 24 when the race returns to the new Belmont Park.

Valtellina worked a half-mile Friday in 50.60 on the Oklahoma dirt training track.

“She breezed awesome today and I'm going to run her in the '2X' next week and get a confidence booster into her and then probably try her in the Empire Distaff again after that. We'll get back to New York-bred company and hopefully get her confidence back up,” Handal said.

Valtellina, bred by Thorostock, has earned $341,380 through a 15-2-3-2 ledger that includes on-the-board efforts versus fellow state-breds in the Joseph A. Gimma [2nd] as a juvenile at Belmont at the Big A, the New York Oaks [2nd] last July at Finger Lakes, the Fleet Indian [3rd] last August here, and the Critical Eye [2nd] in June at the Spa.

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Gerrards Cross goes for stakes double in Listed Galway

James Chicklo’s Florida homebred Gerrards Cross will attempt to double up on stakes victories in Saturday’s Listed $200,000 Galway, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Kathleen O’Connell, Gerrards Cross is 2-for-3 sprinting on turf, and enters from a 2 1/4-length victory in the 5 1/2-furlong Monmouth County on July 5 at Monmouth Park. The Midshipman chestnut graduated on debut over the Gulfstream Park main track last June, and made a successful switch to turf in the five-furlong Colleen that July at Monmouth.

Four months later, she returned with a pair of off-the-board stakes efforts over dirt at Tampa Bay Downs, but bounced back with aplomb in June when returning to the grass to finish a neck second to Hark Theangelssing in the Stormy Blues at Laurel Park ahead of the Monmouth County.

“Each race this year it seems like she’s getting better, and I know she’ll have to step up to the plate here, but she’s doing good,” O’Connell said. “Right now, she’s running good on turf, but if something came up on dirt, we might take a whack at it, too, like if it were to come off the turf.”

Gerrards Cross is out of the stakes-winning Concerto mare Spanish Concert, who O’Connell conditioned through 29 starts of a 31-8-10-6 career that included a win in Tampa’s Minaret in 2017. She also trained each of the filly’s four half-siblings to race, including multiple stakes-placed Dream Concert, and winners Spanish Noble and Princess Norma.

“I had her mother and I’ve had several of her siblings, and they’ve all been really nice horses to be around,” the trainer said. “She and her mom are both very opinionated and they both have a lot of natural speed.”

Gerrards Cross has set the pace in five of her six career starts, and will hope that speed carries her to victory on Saturday from the inside post under Dylan Davis [6-1ML].

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Vukota, named for New York Islander fan favorite, to debut Saturday for LaRose

The start of the 2026-27 NHL season may still be 6 1/2-weeks away, but New York Islanders fans will have something to watch this Saturday at Saratoga Race Course as trainer Kinnon LaRose will send out Vukota, named for the forward and fan favorite Mick Vukota who played 509 games in 10 seasons with the team, in Race 8, a six-furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-olds.

Vukota, 12-1, will carry the colors of Roys Mansur, who bred the bay son of Vekoma in Kentucky. Tabbed at 12-1 on the morning line, Vukota drew the outermost post in the field of 10 and will be ridden by Kendrick Carmouche.

“[Mansur’s] close friend was a big Islanders fan and loved Mick Vukota,” said LaRose. “[The colt is] training well and we are excited to watch him run first time out. I wish we could have had a better post, but it is what it is in this game. He shipped up here and had a solid work from the gate [five furlongs in 58.95 seconds July 16] and three more good works from the pole [July 23, August 1, August 8]. We’ll see what happens first time out. Hopefully, this will be a good racing experience for him. He’s a very forward colt who has settled in well at Saratoga.”

Vukota the player, who also had stints with the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning, accumulated 17 goals, 29 assists, and 46 points and logged 2071 penalty minutes across a total of 573 NHL games. LaRose did additional research into the name Vukota and learned that it is derived from the Serbian word vuk, which means wolf.

“It is often interpreted as meaning ‘Wolf Warrior’ or ‘strong like a wolf,’” LaRose said. “I thought it was appropriate.”

The New York Islanders now play at UBS Arena, which is adjacent to Belmont Park. The Islanders’ season opener is scheduled for September 30 as they will visit the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their home opener will be against the New Jersey Devils on October 3 at 7:30 p.m., the same day as the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne and five other stakes for 2-year-olds . Prominent thoroughbreds named for NHL players include Nyquist, Pavel, Sean Avery, Gretzky the Great, and Landeskog.

LaRose provided updates on maiden special weight winners Intraosseous and Midnight Still. Intraosseous will make her next start in the one-mile Sorority on September 29 at Monmouth Park and Midnight Still remains on target for Saratoga’s Grade 1, $300,000 Spendthrift Farm Hopeful on September 6, the trainer said. Plans have not yet been determined for Stress Relief, who won the Grade 3 Adirondack here on August 2.